Apparatus for treating cotton sweeps



April 4, 1944. w, OCKRANT 2,345,988

APPARATUS FOR TREATING COTTON SWEEPS Filed Dec. 50,1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR WILLIAM OCKR ANT Patented Apr. 4-, 1944 OFFICE APPARATUS FOR TREATING COTTON SWEEPS William Qckrant, Cincinnati, Ohio Application December 30, 1940, Serial No. 372,306

7 Claims.

This invention relates to method and means for opening, blending, cleaning and extracting threads from fibrous materials such as cotton sweeps, and the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide in a single compact machine, means for effectively opening or uncurling cotton sweeps, and extracting loose threads therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character stated which will thoroughly intermix or blend several grades of cotton sweeps, or other fibrous materials, without curling.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in a machine of the character stated, simple, yet highly efiective means for controlling, inde pendently of the speed of rotation of the beaters therein, the rate of travel of the material passing through the machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device having the hereinabove described characteristics, which is adapted to rapidly and thoroughly clean oil, grease, dirt and the like, from cotton sweeps and other fibrous material passing through the device. 7

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a machine having the hereinabove described characteristics, which is structurally and mechanically simple, quiet of operation, highly efficient in performance, foolproof, yet inexpensive and durable.

l'hese and other objects are attained by the means described herein, and disclosed in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is the side elevation of the preferred form of the machine embodying the'present invention, with parts thereof broken away for clarity of detail and understanding.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, end view of a pair of beaters, with their respective dampers and balile plates which collectively comprise a detail of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide a high speed, fully automatic device into which cotton sweepings, or other fibrous material may be fed, and from which machine they will be discharged in a thoroughly opened, or fluffed condition with all loose threads extracted. Experiment has demonstrated that when-oil or grease-soiled cotton sweeps are fed into such a machine, along with a supply of pulverant absorbent material, such as powdered limestone, theindividual fibres of the sweeps are literally coated with the ab sorbent material. So thoroughly are the fibres of the cotton sweeps uncurled or flufied and coated with absorbent material by the present device, that upon being discharged therefrom they may be fed directly into an ordinary cleaner, where the pulverant absorbent material may be mechanically separated from the fibres by means of air currents, beating, etc. At the outset it should be noted that the entire cleaning operation requires but a matter of seconds from the time the'soiled oil and grease-soaked sweepings are fed into the machine until they are discharged from the cleaner, fluffed, cleaned, and ready for use.

As disclosed in Fig. 1, the present device may comprise a housing l0 including top, bottom. front, rear, and opposed side walls, ll, l'2, l3, l4 and I5 respectively, and having a charge or intake port lit at one end and an outlet or discharge port I"! at the other end. Top wall II is preferably removable in order to permit easy access to the interior of the device, as hereinafter more fully explained. A plurality of rotatable beaters l8, each including an axial shaft l9 from which a plurality of beater rods, or agitator arms 20 radially project, ar disposed in a side by side, or in-line relationship, as shown. The shafts of each of the heaters are preferably parallel to one another being disposed in a common horizontal plane and extend transversely of the housing. A rotary motion may be imparted to each beater by any appropriate means, such as, by way of example, the chain and sprocket drive means of Fig. 3. If desired one end of each beater shaft [9 may be provided with a sprocket wheel 2|, engageable by a common drive chain 22, suitably powered by means of an electric motor, or the like, not shown. It should be observed that material fed into the machine via inlet port I6 is driven or thrown from one beater to another until the entire length of the machine has been transversed and the material leaves the machine via discharge port IT. The longitudinal travel of the material from heater to beater is intermittent in the sense that the material is rotated about the axis of each beater one or more times before being thrown by centrifugal force, to the next beater where the same operation is repeated, etc.

In order to support and maintain the material being thus treated, a pan, denoted generally by the numeral 23, may be secured below and spaced from the arcuate path described by the ends of the beater rods 20. As disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2,

the shape of each pan is preferably, though not necessarily, in the form of a circle arc whose center is coincident with the longitudinal axis of the shaft of the particular beater with which it is associated. If desired, the pan for each beater may comprise an individual unit, or a plurality of pans may formed integrally as a multiple unit, Fig. 2. The opposite ends of said pans may be secured to and carried by side walls i5, as illustrated in Fig. 3. It should be observed that in the interest of clarity of detail, the thickness of the pans of Fig. 1 is indicated by a single line, whereas in Figs. 2 and 3 the thickness of the pans is indicated by double spaced lines.

The surface of pans 23 may be continuous, however, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, and in order to obtain maximum flexibility of the device, each of the pans is provided with a plurality of apertures, through ports, or holes M. In order to provide means under the control of an operator for regulating the degree or amount by which the pan holes are opened for the particular treatment being given the material passing through the device, each pan may be provided with a pair of adjustable damper plates 25. It should be observed that any type or kind of damper means may be utilized, however for completeness of detail, and solely by way of example, each damper plate may comprise an upper end pivotally mounted as at 26 relative to and beneath the intermediate portion I23 of adjacent pans, and a free or lower end 21, as shown. The plates of each damper may be simultaneously opened or closed relative to the undersurface of their respective pans by means of a master control shaft 28 which extends beneath all of the dampers, as illustrated in Fig. 1. Shaft 28 may be supported throughout its length by a plurality of internally threaded, two piece sleeves 29 pivotally secured one to the lower end of each damp er plate as at 3-3.

Shaft 28 may be provided throughout its length with alternate sections of right and left threads, 3 and 3! which are engageable by the threads of the various sleeves 29 to provide a turnbuckle mechanism for each pair of damper plates for drawing the lower ends of each pair of damper plates apart, or together, depending upon the di-' rection of rotation of the shaft. A handwheel 32 may be secured to one end of the shaft, as shown. It will be noted that as handwheel is turned, say in a clockwise direction, the sleeves of each pair of damper plates will be forced apart whereby shaft 28 will be lowered as the damper plates are opened, as disclosed by the broken lines of Fig. 2. By utilizing two-piece sleeves the connection between each pair of sleeves with heir corresponding right or left threads of shaft 28 is simplified. A vertical guideway 34 may be provided in front wall l3 and a bracket 35 supported from the rear of the machine to prevent the ends of the shaft from side whipping.

Generally speaking, the dampers will be closed during these periods of time when the machine is not being used as a cleaner, that is, when it is being used for extracting threads, opening fibers and/or blending sweeps or other fibrous materials fed therethrough. When the machine is being used as a cleaner the dampers are preferably, though not necessarily opened, in order to permit adherent dirt and other foreign matter to fall out of and be separated from the fibers as quickly as possible.

In order to provide means for removing the dirt and other debris which falls through holes 24 of pans 23, a conveyor, such as the spiral conveyor 35 may be provided longitudinally of the machine bottom. As disclosed in Figs. 1 and 3 the lower portion of side walls l5 may be inclined inwardly as at 36 for providing a narrow trough through which the screw conveyor extends and into which the dirt will be gathered. Conveyor 35 may be suitably driven by means of an electric motor 3'! during those periods or time when it is desirable to remove the foreign material collected in the housing bottom. If desired a refuse discharge port 38 may be provided at or near the rear end of the conveyor into which the conveyed material may be deposited for disposal or reclamation, depending upon the nature of the product passing through pan holes 24.

As hereinabove stated, material fed into the machine is urged therethrough in a series of in termittent steps, one step for each beater. In

. some instances it becomes desirable to increase or decrease the speed or rate of lineal travel of material through the machine depending upon certain variable factors such as the nature of the material being acted upon, the type of treatment to which the material is being subjected, etc.

The rate of lineal travel of material through the device may be effectively controlled by means of a plurality of adjustable baflle plates 45, which are adapted to make it more or less difficult for material to be thrown from one beater to another. Each balile may comprise a substantially rectangular sheet of metal, or the like, pivotally secured from its upper longitudinal edge for movement to opposite sides of a perpendicular disposed midway between adjacent shafts I9, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

If it is assumed that a standard or normal rate of lineal travel of material through the machine will result when all of the bafiie plates are in a vertical position A, Fig. 2, then the rate of lineal travel will be increased as the baffle is swung to position B, that is toward or over the path described by the ends of the agitator rods 20 of i the beater from which the material is thrown.

Conversely, the rate of travel will be decreased as the baflle is swung to position C, that is, toward or over the path described by the ends of the agitator arms of the beater to which the material is thrown.

Before describing the path followed by the material as it is thrown from one beater to another, the following discussion of the thread-exacting action of the heater shafts l9 and agitator rods 20 will be helpful. It has been observed that by providing beater shafts of a relative small diameter such as, by way of example, in the nature of 2 inches, and by making the agitator arms 20 of round rods having a diameter of less than one inch, the sweeps, or other fibrous material fed into the machine, will be opened or uncurled, and the longer loose threads will readily wrap around the beater shafts while theshorter threads will wrap about the agitator rods. In this manner, the loose threads are effectively extracted from the mass of the stock passing through the machine whereby the bulk of the stock will float upwardly before being thrown to the next beater.

With reference to Fig. 2 the solidarrow-headed-lines indicate the normal path of material as it is beaten and then thrown to the next beater when the baffle is in vertical position A, whereas the dashed lines and arrows indicate the path of the material as it is speeded through the machine when the baffle is shifted to position B. It will be noted that the material which before. struck the baflle'and dropped back into the first beater when the baflie was in position A, is now free to drop into the second beater. The path of the material as it is retarded in its travel from one baille to another when the baille is in position C, indicated by the dotted lines and arrows wherein it is shown how material which cleared the battle when in position A will hit the baiile when in position C for returning the material back to the first beater thereby retarding its rate of lineal travel through the device.

As disclosed in Figs. 1 and 3 one end of each of the shafts 4! from which the bafiies may be suspended, may be provided with a suitable lever 42 for permitting an operator to adjust the setting of the various bafile plates from the exterior of the device. By aligning the longitudinal axis of each lever 42 with the adjacent end edge of its associated baille plate, the relative position of the various plates may be ascertained, at'a glance, by the relative positions of levers :32. It should be understood that suitable means, not shown, are provided for maintaining each bailie in any reset or aligned position against the force of the material being thrown against it by the heaters.-

Although each of the baffle plates of Fig. 1 is shown in a vertical position A, it will be noted that during actual operating conditions each baffle may be inclined by a different amount, depending upon the particular conditions existing within the machine, wherefore it is apparent that the rate of lineal travel through any part of the machine may be accurately controlled, although the relative speed of all the heaters is the same.

-It should be observed that when the quantity of extracted thread which is wrapped around shafts I9 and agitator rods 20 becomes sufiicient to impair or lessen the-efficiency of the machine, such thread may be simply and quickly removed in the following manner: the machine is stopped after which top H is opened for permitting an operator to cut, with a special knife, the mass of thread wrapped around the various beater shafts l9 and agitator arms 2!). Under normal conditions it is necessary to thus remove the extracted threads, but once a day to maintain highly efficient operation. a

In those instances where it is desired to quickly and thoroughly remove oil and grease from cotton sweeps and the like, it is only necessary to provide suitable means, such as, by way of example, a hopper 50 adjacent the intake port l6 for adding or applying to the stock fed intothe device, a supply ofpulverant absorbent material, such as iullers earth, powdered limestone, infusorialearth, chalk, potters earth, air slaked lime, or other well-known substances which will unite with Or absorb the greasy matter which coats the fibers of the cotton sweeps. Hopper 50 may include suitable means such as a motor driven feed wheell which slits-the powdered absorbent material onto the material being fed into the machine. So thoroughly are the fibers of the sweeps uncurled and opened, and the threads extracted by the device that when a pulverant, absorbent material is added, as described, every fiber is not only literally coated with absorbent material by the time it is discharged via port ll,

but what is even more phenomenal, the absorptiveand cleaning action of the absorbent material is so complete that the sweeps may be discharged directly into a so-called standard metal extractor 52 from whence it may be pneumatically lifted to a standard condenser 53. The purpose and function of the condenser is to mechanically separate the cotton sweeps from the oil soaked or spent absorbent material. So effective is the cleaning action hereinabove described that it requires but a matter of seconds, at the most just a few minutes, for dirty greasy sweeps introduced into the machine via port Hi to be discharged from the condenser free of loose threads, cleaned uncurled, fiuffed and ready for use.

Inasmuch as a suction exists in metal extractor 52 an adjustable auxiliary baiile plate 54 may be provided in outlet or discharge port IT, as shown. Said auxiliary baiile may be moved to the vertical position illustrated during those periods of time when a pulverant absorbent material is being used incident to a cleaning operation in order to lessen the tendency for the powder within the housing to be prematurely sucked out, however, the use of such a baflle ismerely economic, since with or without the auxiliary bafiie, the hereinabove described cleaning process will be quickly and thoroughly completed as the sweeps are passed through the device, but once.

From he foregoing it is apparent that the present device provides compact, highly efiicient means for extracting the threads from cotton sweeps and the like, for uncurling or flufling the sweeps, for thoroughly blending difierent grades of sweeps, and for thoroughly and quickly removing grease and oils from the cotton fibers. The present method of cleaning oil and grease cotton fibers is quite an improvement over the slower methods heretofore used, and as detailed in the Bowersox Patent No. 1,980,747 where it was necessary for the absorbent pulverant material to remain in intimate contact with the oil or grease coated cotton fibers from 2 to 24 hours for the absorption process to be completed.

It should be understood that various modifications and changes in the structural details of the device may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described for concurrently opening the fibers of cotton sweeps and extracting loose threads therefrom, said device comprising in combination an extended housing having an inlet port at one end, and a discharge port at the other end, a plurality of rotatable heaters disposed in an in-line relationship within said housing with the axis of rotation of the heaters disposed in spaced parallelism and extending transversely of the housing, means for beater, for providing a support beneath the beaterfor the sweeps passing through the housing, and adjustable damper means for said pans, said damper means adapted to control the passage of material through the holes in the pans.

2. A device of the class described for cleaning cotton sweeps rendered greasy and moist by contact with grease, oil and adherent dirt, which comprises in combination an extended housing including an inlet port at one end and a discharge port at the-other end, means disposed adjacent said inlet port for supplying quantities of oil and grease absorbent material onto the greasy moist sweeps as they are introduced into said housing, means disposed interiorly of said housing for imparting an intermittent centrifugal and lineal movement to the sweeps from the intake port to the discharge port, separating the adherent dirt from the sweeps and opening the fibers of said sweeps in the presence of said absorbent material whereby said fibers are thoroughly and intimately coated with absorbent material, said means comprising a plurality of rotatable beaters' disposed in an in line relationship within said housing, means for imparting a, rotary motion to each beater, a plurality of aperturedpans, one for each beater, each pan being arouate in shape and disposed below and spaced from the arc of rotation of its beater for providing a support beneath the beater for the sweeps passing through the housing, and adjustable damper means for said pans, said damper means adapted to control the passage of adherent dirt and absorbent material through the holes in the pans, and independently adjustable means for controlling the rate of lineal travel of sweeps through the housing whereby the absorbent and cleaning action of the absorbent material is substantially completed during the lineal travel of the sweeps through said housing.

3. A device of the class described for, removing oil, adherent dirt, and loose threads from cotton sweeps, which comprises in combination an extended housing including an inlet port at one end and a discharge port at the other end, means,

disposed adjacent said inlet port for feeding a pulverant oil absorbent material onto the sweeps as they are fed into said inlet port, means dis-. posed interiorly of said housing for imparting an intermittent centrifugal and lineal motion to the sweeps through said housing, separating the: adherent dirt from the sweeps and opening the fibers of the sweeps in the presence of said absorbent material, and extracting theloose threads from said fibers, said means comprising a plurality of rotary beater units each of which includes an axial shaft and a plurality of beater rods extending radially therefrom, the axial shafts of the heaters being disposed in spaced parallelism and extending transversely of the housing, said boaters adapted to subject the sweeps to a centrifugal action whereby the sweeps are opened in the presence of said absorbent material and the fibers thereof are continuously, thoroughly and intimately coated with absorbent material, means for selectively controlling the rate of lineal travel of the sweeps through the housing at any one point or points without affecting the travel of the sweeps through other parts of the housing, whereby the absorbent and cleaning action of the absorbent material on the fibers of the cotton sweeps is substantially completed during the lineal travel of the sweeps through said housing, said means comprising a plurality of independently adjustable baffles disposed one between each pair of beaters.

4. In a device for quickly, thoroughly and continuously removing oil, grease and adherent dirt from cotton sweeps, the combination of an extended housing having an inlet port at one end and a discharge port at the other end, means disposed adjacent the inlet port for distributing a pulverant oil and grease absorbent material onto oil and grease soaked cotton sweeps as they are fed into said inlet port, means disposed interio-rly of said housing for opening the fibers of the sweeps in the presence of the pulverant material whereby the absorbent and cleaning action of the absorbent material on the sweeps is substantially complete incident to the lineal travel of the sweeps through said housing, said means comprising a plurality of in-line heaters each of which is adapted to simultaneously agitate the absorbent material and subject. the sweeps to centrifugal action, said sweeps adapted to be thrown from one beater to the next whereby they are given an intermittent lineal motion through said housing, and means for controlling the rate of intermittent lineal travel. of the sweeps from beater to beater independently of the speed of rotation of the beaters, said means comprising a plurality of independently adjustable baffles disposed one between each pair of beaters, each baffle comprising a substantially rectangular plate hingedly suspended from its upper edge whereby the lower edge is normally disposed belowa horizontal plane tangent to the periphery of the arcs described by the ends of the beater rods of adjacent beaters, said baflles adapted to control the rate of lineal travel of the sweeps as theyv are thrown from one beater to another by selectively intercepting more or less of the sweeps and returning them to the beater from which they were thrown.

5. In a device of the class described for concurrently opening and cleaning the fibers of oil soaked cotton sweeps and removing adherent material therefrom, said device comprising in combination an extended housinghaving an inlet port at one end and a discharge port at the other end, means disposed adjacent the inlet port for mechanically distributing a pulverant oil and grease absorbent material onto the sweeps asthey are fed into said inlet port, a plurality of rotatable beaters disposed in an in-line relationship within said housing with the axis of rotation of the heaters disposed in spaced parallelism and extending transversely of the housing, means for imparting a uniform rotary motion to each beater, a plurality of apertured pans, one for each beater, each pan being arcuate in shape and disposed below and spaced from the arc of rotation of its beater, adjustable damper means cooperative with said pans for closing the apertures therein, adjustable baffles disposed one between each pair of beaters, each baflle comprising a substantially rectangular plate pivotally suspended from its upper edge and wherein its lower edge is normally disposed below a horizontal plane tangent to the peripher of the arcs described by the ends of the beater rods of adjacent beaters, the pans and bafiles associated with each beater defining one of a plurality of similar in-line open ended compartments adjoining ones of which are in open communication currently opening and cleaning the fibers of oil. soaked cotton sweeps and removing adherent material therefrom, said device comprising in combination an extended housing having an inlet port at one end and a discharge port at the other end, means disposed adjacent the inlet port for mechanically distributing a pulverant oil andgrease absorbent material onto the sweeps as they are fed into said inlet port, a plurality of rotatable beaters disposed in an in-line relationship within said housing with the axis of rotation of the beaters disposed in spaced parallelism and extending transversely of the housing, means for imparting a uniform rotary motion to each beater, a plurality of apertured pans, one for each beater, each pan being arcuate in shape and disposed below and spaced from the arc of rotation of its beater, adjustable damper means cooperative with said pans for closing the apertures therein, adjustable baffles disposed one between each pair of beaters, each bafile comprising a substantially rectangular plate pivotally suspended from its upper edge and wherein its lower edge is normally disposed below a horizontal plane tangent to the periphery of the arcs described by the ends of the beater rods of adjacent beaters, the pans and baflies associated with each beater defining one of a plurality of similar in-line open ended compartments adjoining ones of which are in open communication with one another, the beater of each compartment adapted to subject the sweeps and pulverant material to centrifugal action for opening the cotton fibers in the presence of the pulverant material and to throw the sweeps to the ad joining compartment for imparting an intermittent lineal travel to the sweeps through the housing, said bafiles being independently adjustable for controlling the rate of travel of the sweeps through various compartments independently of and without afiecting the rate of travel of the sweeps through the other compartments.

'7. In a device of the class described for simultaneously opening the fibers and extracting loose threads from cotton sweeps comprising a conglomerate mass of entangled cotton fibers and loose threads, said device comprising in combination an extended housing having an inlet port at one end and an outlet port at the other end, a plurality of similar rotatory beater units disposed within said housing, each beater including an axial shaft and a plurality of beater rods extending radially therefrom, the axial shafts of the heaters being disposed in spaced parallelism and extending transversely of the housing, means for imparting a rotary motion to each beater, whereby sweeps introduced into the inlet port are sequentially subjected to the centrifugal action of each of the rotating beaters, said sweeps being thrown from beater to beater being discharged from the outlet port by the last beater, and wherein the relationship of diameter of the axial shafts to the diameter of the beater rods are of the order of two inches to one inch respectively for facilitating the simultaneous wrapping of the longer loose threads of the sweeps about said axial shafts and the shorter loose threads about said beater rods whereby substantially all of the loose threads are removed from the sweeps incident to their passage through said housing.

WILLIAM OCKRANT. 

